AN AUBURN ACCESSORY

Sunday, 10 July 2016

Most of you don't really know that I'm a massive royalist and by massive, I mean MASSIVE. I love anything to do with the royal family, their history, the corgis, aristocracy, the pomp and ceremony, THE LOT! Poor Jamie has to put up with it, but a few weekends ago I took it to another level. I decided we would get up at the crack of dawn, go down to London and get in the crowd for the Trooping of the Colour.

We'd been out the night before so getting up for 5am wasn't great as it was. Hopped on the train and then a quick pit stop for a Mcdonalds brekkie - Bacon, Egg & Cheese bagel - YUM. Off at St James' Park and even at 7.30am you could feel the buzz as soon as you walked out of the station, army men and guards everywhere, police vans hidden in side streets and people filling the park. We got to a spot right on the corner of the roundabout with the perfect view of the balcony. Met a lovely old couple from sunny Southend who kept us amused for most of the quiet bits. 10am Queenie was due to ride past in her carriage, 10.10am comes and goes, nothing. 10.20am, still nothing. 10.30am, all of a sudden a wave of excitement rushed through the crowd and there they were. Unfortunately due to the side of the road we were on we didn't get to see much of them passing through. I was absolutely gutted, but I didn't let it dampen my hopes of seeing Liz and a certain Prince Harry...

2 hours passed in the packed in, sweaty crowds, nothing but chatter and the sights of it all to keep us amused. Honest to god I don't know how we didn't need a wee, I think even if I had I wouldn't have moved an inch!

Then the noise of the guards band slowly made its way up the mall, the anticipation was killing me. All of a sudden there they were 'THE' Royal Family, Kate, Camilla and HARRY! I'm surprised how my hand didn't fall off with all the waving and that I didn't jump over the barriers and get in the carriage with him. Sadly good ol' Liz decided she wouldn't follow the rules of driving on the left hand side of the road and went on the other side of the road. Mind you, you couldn't miss her in that outfit. Luckily we had a tip off from one of the Police Officers that they would be opening up the mall and the side crowds into the space in front of Buckingham Palace, so we made our way to the back of the crowd and waited. Then we got the news that they would be releasing those in the mall first, I was more than peeved. Thank god we waited where we were and didn't move as the gates opened and we sprinted to the gates of Buckingham Palace. I didn't care what anyone thought and I'm so glad I didn't because we had one person in front of us and there were the gates.

A few minutes later and they were out on the balcony. It was the same buzz as seeing your favourite celeb or band, the colours of their clothes, their faces, it was amazing. I couldn't stop taking photos and as much as I had limited phone battery, I knew these would last me a lifetime. It was amazing standing in that huge crowd with people from all over the world coming together to celebrate her birthday. The fly past was incredible and I had chills as we sung the national anthem.

Before I knew it, that was it, done. We'd spent 9 hours more or less in the same tiny spot, up against the barrier to get just a few glimpses of the Royals. Jamie might say that it was pretty pointless, but it's something that will last my lifetime. No doubt I'll be dragging him there again next year and to more Royal events, this time I'm going to be entering the public ballot so rather than leaning up against a french girl, I'll be sitting next to one!

Friday, 8 July 2016

As you know with the great british summer (or not-so-great british summer) I find that I can be wearing a jacket and jeans one day, to flowery summer dresses and sandals the next and it's actually pretty hard to pull off the 'it's supposed to be summer look' whilst it's pouring down with rain!

I've been after a cute pair of sandals/heels for a while, so I went online to look at the summer sandals at JD Williams and found the most gorgeous pair of brown leather platforms that I can wear regardless of the weather.

As soon as they arrived I couldn't help but take a few photos to share my summer styling tips and I thought it'd be a really good way to put a face to the name...or blog!

Sunday, 28 September 2014

Today I attended the National Wedding Show and thought I'd give you all a glimpse of the 'pintrest-ready' exhibition. I went with my mum, my mother-in-law to be and one of my bridesmaids.

The exhibition itself was held at Earls Court and ran from Friday 26th until Sunday 28th September 2014 and, although we're not getting married until July 2017 I thought it would be a good idea to go and get some inspiration ideas, especially around table decor and novelty ideas for our guests.

There was so much to see and do, from catwalk shows, cake tasting and hair & beauty tips, to photography, string quartets and hypnotists!

I took so many photos which I will be adding to my 'inspo folder' but I've picked some of my favourites for you below...

The most amazing shoes!!

Possible bridesmaid dress?!

Vintage Glamour

Country shabby chic

Country shabby chic wedding cake

Country shabby chic table decor

Country shabby chic table decor

Let me know what table decor you prefer as I'm really unsure at the minute whether to go for country shabby chic or vintage glamour?

Monday, 30 June 2014

I hope you're all well and trying to get your head around whether summer has actually arrived or if it's still winter!

Last week I had noticed a couple of bloggers tweeting about Cosmopolitan Magazine's Superblogger Masterclass. Now, if you've read some of my previous posts you will have known that last year I was off work sick for a considerable amount of time and wasn't able to leave the house much. I eventually decided to start my blog and get myself out there - namely joining the Next Blogger Network (NBN). Soon after getting my blog up and running the NBN posted about a blogging workshop which I literally jumped at the chance to attend...AND then realised I couldn't. So it was safe to say that when I saw Cosmo's event I snapped up a ticket and trotted down to the Millbank Tower in London.

I had looked into the event beforehand and noted that there were going to be a mixed panel from bloggers, vloggers to SEO experts and the Social media manager from Next.

Upon arrival to champagne and lots of chatty ladies, a little networking was underway and I met two soon-to-be bloggers Elaine and Jessica looking to take the leap of faith and start their blogs.

We were ushered into the auditorium, which weirdly made me feel like I was at Uni! Settled down with my notepad in hand, I jotted down what felt like a bible's worth of notes. It felt like we had been in there all of 10 minutes when the panel said their goodbyes, but not before a photo opp and a chat with people individually (Note pics below with Fleur de Force & Kat from Rock'N'Roll Bride!)

Rather than re-write my everything, I thought I'd give you 5 key points that I'll definitely be taking forward:

Be yourself - Don't try and copy other 'bigger' bloggers, as they don't have the same opinions and views as you. You are your own person, so reflect that in your posts.

Post regularly - Scheduling is something that I personally have difficulty with. Trying to work full time and spread my time between Jim and my family, as well as posting regularly is a tricky task. Luckily I've set myself a schedule so you will have weekly posts from me on Mondays!

Use social media to create blog awareness - The key programmes to help with this were highlighted as being 'Instagram' and 'Twitter'. New content can be added instantly, especially when you're out and about. I've found both ridiculously helpful when creating an awareness of An Auburn Accessory and I've made many new pals in the process.

Collaboration - Network with other bloggers either via social media or in person and organise for you both to swap blogs for a day to conduct guest posts. Although I hadn't given this much thought previously, it seemed to be quite a popular topic. Might have to give it a go! - Any takers??

Amazing content - Your content should be the best thing about your blog. It's all well and good you having an amazing layout and logo, but really it's your content that your readers are there for, so it was stressed beyond belief that out of everything this is the one point to take note of.

Most of all, make sure you're having fun.

I began blogging as a hobby and to help me get through a difficult time in my life. Safe to say my circumstances have changed and I'm still enjoying blogging as much as I did when I completed my first post.

Keep it up if you're already blogging and take the jump if you're not. Whats the worst that could happen?

Friday, 20 June 2014

This week I grew some balls and decided it was about time I attended a blogging event all by my lonesome. I had seen other bloggers tweeting and posting their excitement about the Style Blogger Awards 2014 hosted by Company Magazine and me being a fairly new blogger I could only but wish to be invited to such an event. Luckily for me 'the general public' was able to buy tickets, so the night before I went for it -

'Ticket purchase confirmation'.

The venue itself was pretty cool, set in an East End warehouse the theme was 'festivals'. They had their very own BBQ, balcony with summery Deck Chairs and even strawberry plants! Inside was filled with people waiting to braid your hair, apply metallic tattoos and paint your nails. There were rails of some of the cutest summer pieces from Missguided and the opportunity to organise the ultimate festival outfit.

At first it was a little overwhelming, but after tucking into a hotdog and covering myself in ketchup I began chatting away to Gemma who had been shortlisted for 'Best International Blog newcomer' and I soon found out that I wasn't the only blogger there on my own :) We helped ourselves to the bar before settling down for the awards which were hosted by MTV presenter Becca Dudley.

Once the awards had been presented we had a wander and bumped into a few familiar faces. We helped ourselves to ice-cream and metallic tattoos before chatting to other bloggers and heading off home into the night, not before picking up the most amazing goodie bag!

Literally the next day it was as if Santa had been!

With Company Magazine Editor Victoria White

With Funforlouis and Best Male Style Blog Winner Steve Booker

It was such a good experience for me, especially feeling so anxious beforehand, but I had a really good time and met some lovely people. I also spied some of my favourite bloggers - Megs and Liv Purvis! Although there's not much left of my goodie bag (thanks to my mum!) I've been trying out some of the products so watch this space for some new reviews.

Wednesday, 14 May 2014

Since my last post it seems to have been non-stop planning for our engagement party and the very distant wedding, so I thought I'd give you a little update on the plans...

So last weekend Jim and I had a formal viewing of what could be the most amazing wedding venue we have ever seen, Hengrave Hall in Bury St Edmunds. We have been looking loads for the perfect venue and after a long awaited viewing we finally saw it on Sunday.

We arrived via the guest entrance which consisted of a mile or so long road directly up to Hengrave Hall. It was breathtaking. The wildlife that surrounded us on the drive up was amazing. Phesants, Rabbits and birds - I literally felt like a disney princess with them all running along side us! Haha

The hall proved to speak for itself as we were both speechless. Each and every room had been decorated perfectly and the chapel of reflection nearly had me in tears. The Queen Elizabeth bridal suite was out of this world, with a dark wooden four poster bed, an en-suite and one of the biggest mirrors I had ever seen. I turned to Jim in utter excitement and noticed HIM welling up! - Wimp!!

Then we went to the place I was most looking forward to - the church. Tucked beside the hall amongst trees and bushes in such a small beautiful setting. Not only was it small and intimate but would make it so much easier for the guests not having to faff around with cars and directions to the venue. We wandered over to the west terrace where Cat our coordinator explained would be filled with over a thousand roses and flowers all in full bloom. The lawns would be filled with large outdoor activities for guests with my favourites being Connect Four and Jenga. By this point I came to the realisation that they really had thought of everything. We walked into the children's play room, full to the brim of books, toys and films and WHICH!.. if we wanted we could hire a nanny! (Seriously a nanny) Finally we were ushered around each and every guest room and cottage proving that although an hour and a half away, we could have everyone stay with us on the night of the wedding :)

We both left there in a daze, but not forgetting our information pack with every single thing we could possibly need and want. The only downside of having the ultimate wedding venue of your dreams...the cost :( After working out all the financials it seems that we'll be eating bread and butter for the next three years but.. we can actually afford it!

Now all we need is a second viewing with our parents to try and plan the details and we'll hopefully (fingers and toes crossed) have a booking once the new year is here! Phew

If i'm honest me being as unorganised as I am, thought I'd still be rushing things up until the last few months and weeks before the big day, but luckily for me I researched early!

I was wondering if you have any tips or ideas for us to have either at the wedding or engagement party?? Let me know :)

Saturday, 5 April 2014

Very recently my boyfriend and I went away for a cottage weekend in Shropshire. We had been together for 6 years and really fancied a weekend of chilling out and wandering through small traditional towns and the countryside.

The cottage itself was absolutely beautiful, settled in the middle of sheep covered fields and miles away from the local town. As part of our 'anniversary' we had both agreed to take a period of time to organise an activity for each other. Unfortunately I got stuck with the daytime and Jim got lucky with the evening.

After researching the local area I found a Victorian Village, which you could wander, change up your money into old pennies and spend the day in the victorian age. As we're both history geeks I thought it would be perfect. So on Saturday morning I presented Jim with his 'anniversary' card and a note giving him a hint and the postcode for where we were going. Half way there I gave him more clues until he eventually guessed what it was. After stepping into an introduction film, we opened the doors to a 52 acre victorian village, equipped with actors, shops and railway. It was AMAZINGG!

Unfortunately the weather wasn't on our side, but after buying old fashioned chips and a coke each we ended up in the pub for a good ol' singsong.

After arriving back at the cottage I ended up having a nap, only to be woken up an hour later with a huge bubble bath and new dress all picked and layed out by Jim! He explained that we would be going for dinner in the town and that a taxi would be arriving shortly to take us there.

When we got to the restaurant it dawned on me that not only was this a fancy restaurant, it was a michelin star restaurant (glad I was suitably dressed!) They bought the menu over and Jim explained that he had arranged with the chef for us to have our own separate menu.

Now any other girl at this point must have considered he had gone a little overboard,

but sadly not me!

The food was some of the best I have and will ever eat! So just after dinner the restaurant manager wandered past and left a phone on the side table, me not realising thought it was one that a customer had left behind. Then it started ringing....a song with a long intro and one that was very familiar to me. As soon as I realised what song it was I turned around to Jim and there he was...

......On one knee in front of the whole restaurant!!!!

Obviously I said yes, which led to a rather loud applause from fellow restaurant goers and the restaurant manager rushing over with Champagne :)

I couldn't wait to tell my parents and when I did I found out that they had known for a very long time and hadn't mentioned a word to anyone. I had no idea!

Back at the cottage I was greeted by a huge bouquet of roses as well as a candlelit Champagne picnic! Needless to say it sounds like something out of a film and it really was the most perfect night of my entire life. Even writing this out fills me with nerves and excitement at what is to come. I'm so lucky to have found my Mr. Right at such a young age, so I'm sure my future posts will include organising our engagement party as well as our plans to move out. Then before we know it, it'll be the big day....